Travel/Tickets: USA versus Honduras in San Pedro Sula, Honduras (10/10/2009)

Discussion in 'USA Men: Fans & Travel' started by swkfilms, Jun 30, 2009.

  1. iad_22201

    iad_22201 Member+

    Jan 2, 2009
    Washington, DC
    Club:
    Fulham FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That would be great. Hope you have a safe trip down to DC tonight.
     
  2. GOREVS3000

    GOREVS3000 Moderator
    Staff Member

    New England Revolution
    United States
    Sep 18, 2006
    Boston
    Club:
    2 de Mayo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxC8iw38S98"]YouTube - US vs Honduras 10/10/09 Outside Gate 00 - 4[/ame]

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KZUZwUgP9Q"]YouTube - Bus drop off at Estadio Olimpico[/ame]

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwhUiMzEjmA"]YouTube - A pony at Estadio Olimpico[/ame]
     
  3. GOREVS3000

    GOREVS3000 Moderator
    Staff Member

    New England Revolution
    United States
    Sep 18, 2006
    Boston
    Club:
    2 de Mayo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjNGVqHVj0U"]YouTube - Josh bought a wooden squirrel at Guamilito Market[/ame]

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlYC0A_qggw"]YouTube - AO Boston visits Guamilito Market[/ame]

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pbxkWH2ejY"]YouTube - USA vs Honduras - Walking down Av Circunvalacion Carril Int[/ame]
     
  4. Wayne-o

    Wayne-o New Member

    Jul 12, 2009
    Wilmo, Del
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Why doesn't AO have a folder for uploading photos from the Honduras match? They already have one created for DC and that has even been played.

    I know it wasnt an official AO event, but the Outlaws were there in good numbers.
     
  5. GOREVS3000

    GOREVS3000 Moderator
    Staff Member

    New England Revolution
    United States
    Sep 18, 2006
    Boston
    Club:
    2 de Mayo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Ok I know this is probably a question most BS readers don't want to go over but...

    Anybody else who went to Honduras sick? I know three people plus myself from our traveling party are sick. One went to the ER today. My GF and I are weathering the storm ok, but it's still...um...unpleasant. It sucks but we're not in major pain or sick elsewhere.

    Andrew from SD was really hurting on the last day of the trip. It didn't hit me until Wednesday morning when I was in DC. Something tells me the beer I drank on Tuesday night upset it further.
     
  6. MHaifa1913

    MHaifa1913 Moderator
    Staff Member

    Metro
    United States
    Dec 21, 1998
    New York, NY, USA
    Club:
    Maccabi Haifa FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't feel a thing from that trip. So the only thing I can say is that it wasn't from the beer at the stadium. That is also the only time that we digested the same product down there.
     
  7. ventur514

    ventur514 Member

    Feb 23, 2008
    Maryland
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Not to make light of things, but it sound like you got Pavon's Revenge. ;)
     
  8. GOREVS3000

    GOREVS3000 Moderator
    Staff Member

    New England Revolution
    United States
    Sep 18, 2006
    Boston
    Club:
    2 de Mayo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I am thinking it was ice cubes from somewhere.
     
  9. ventur514

    ventur514 Member

    Feb 23, 2008
    Maryland
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yup, everyone forgets about the ice cubes. Feel better!
     
  10. thethinwhiteduke

    Feb 13, 2008

    luckily no problems for me during or after the trip...hope you guys feel better!
     
  11. Wayne-o

    Wayne-o New Member

    Jul 12, 2009
    Wilmo, Del
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Bummer dude-you got sick too? You seemed ok on Sunday. I ate the ice cubes, but no sickness. I am wondering if it wasn't the water in the plastic bag that made you guys all sick.

    Feel better man!
     
  12. Wayne-o

    Wayne-o New Member

    Jul 12, 2009
    Wilmo, Del
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    BTW - I just posted some photos of Honduras to an album on my BS profile. Check them out. Also vids will be at www.vimeo.com/wayneo. I am uploading them now.
     
  13. GOREVS3000

    GOREVS3000 Moderator
    Staff Member

    New England Revolution
    United States
    Sep 18, 2006
    Boston
    Club:
    2 de Mayo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I didn't even think about the water in the plastic bags! AHHH!

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyZRGMNDC78"]YouTube - Water in a bag - Estadio Olimpico[/ame]
     
  14. MHaifa1913

    MHaifa1913 Moderator
    Staff Member

    Metro
    United States
    Dec 21, 1998
    New York, NY, USA
    Club:
    Maccabi Haifa FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thank God I only had the beer!
     
  15. ussoccer_fan

    ussoccer_fan New Member

    Oct 28, 2008
    Los Angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  16. Wayne-o

    Wayne-o New Member

    Jul 12, 2009
    Wilmo, Del
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You said it brother! I am glad I stuck to my game plan. (Though I did have a couple of ice filled cokes at the stadium when we first got in) Perhaps the alcohol killed it all.
     
  17. shinpath

    shinpath Member

    Feb 14, 2003
    Shanghai, PR China
    Club:
    --other--
    Seen your pics and read the snippets but did anyone write a full this-is-how-it-all-went-down account of your adventures down there?
     
  18. ctown80

    ctown80 New Member

    Sep 10, 2009
    South Dakota
    Club:
    Fulham FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    First off...I took a shit at Estadio Olympico...Will never do that again...I got pretty ill down there, but I do not know if I was maybe getting sick before hand, so I have no clue..But I had some stomach issues for almost a week after I got back, but I am back on my feet...A few people asked me to write an account of my experience in Honduras and I posted it on facebook awhile back, but figured I would post it here for others to view...Let me preface this with the fact that I am not a writer by any means and this may be the longest thing I have written since a long college dissertation...So here you go..

    Well it has taken me a little time to get to this, but I promised a few people I would write a little about my experience in Honduras this last week to watch the USA Men's National Soccer team take on Honduras in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, in the first leg of the final two matches of World Cup qualifying. Should the USA win any of the next two games they would automatically qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

    Soccer for some people in the USA will always just be that sport that they think people play because they can't play baseball, football, or basketball. However, around the world soccer is life for most nations. Their countries' economies and social happiness ride on the success of club and national teams. I try to describe it to peope, but some just don't understand. It is like Nebraska football when you live in Nebraska. You live in die for it. However, soccer is on a much grander scale. It is a whole nation that lives and breathes it. It is, many nations that are poorer than the poor in the USA that shut entirely down on a national team game day. This is how it was in Honduras.

    A little background about Honduras before I get to far. Honduras is located in Central America. It is a 3rd world country, where the average person makes $6-$7 a day for a ten hour work day 6 days a week (tickets for the game cost 45$, so almost a week's pay for most people). Recently, without getting into too much detail, the current president of Honduras wanted to extend his term and break the constitution. When word of this got out, he was forced out of the country at gun point by the Honduran military. This was back in June. Well about two weeks before the soccer match vs. the USA he snuck back into the country and was hiding at the Brazilian Embassy. This caused a series of political demonstrations in the capital Tegucigalpa and some unrest around the world.

    Due to this happening it was unclear if the match would be played in Honduras or not. Eventually, FIFA (the governing body of world soccer) decided it would be. However, the USA State Department was recommending that all Americans avoid Honduras for travel because of safety concerns. With that said, I was like time to book my trip. Im not your average soccer fan. I do not follow club soccer too much, as I live in South Dakota, I only follow the USMNT (United States Mens National Team) closely. I grew up with football being my favorite sport and still is, and even played American football in college. But with that said, nothing gives me more pride than watching our USMNT play other countries and represent our country the way they do. Politics aside, there is a lot in our country to be thankful for and show pride for.

    For the people who are fans of soccer they get it, for people who aren't they don't, and I do not hold that against them. It is not easy to get into watching and following soccer unless someone else gets you into it, or you grew up playing it. And thus my journey to Honduras.

    I left for Honduras on 10/07/09 for Washington DC. I stayed over in DC with my buddy Sean Binker, who just happened to be there for work, so it worked out. Me and Sean live 40 miles away from each other in South Dakota, but we had to go all the way to DC to see each other and hang out, kinda funny.

    I then got up around 4am on 10/08/09 and boarded my flight to Houston on Continental Airlines. So as I am checking in, waiting for the plane, I notice 3 guys wearing Honduran soccer jerseys. Naturally, I ask them if they are going to the game and they say yes they are and are Honduran Americans. We talk about the match and they talk about how the country is super excited for the game as if they beat the USA it will be the first time in 28 years that Honduras had made to World Cup, not to mention that Honduras is undefeated at home during World Cup Qualification.

    I arrive in Houston and upgrade my flight to first class. I never fly first class and never have before. But it was a 3 hour flight ahead of me and it only cost me $79 to upgrade, and when you are as tall as me, that is a no brainer. Now on this flight, I now notice around 15 people in Honduran soccer jerseys, and I am the only guy with US Soccer stuff on. How is this possible. There is more people from the USA flying to Honduras to support Honduras than the USA. But as a fan of US Soccer this is most certainly always the case. Even home games, we are usually out numbered. But once again, I think this just illustrates their love for the game.

    On the flight from Houston to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, I sit next to a very high ranking business man from the company Univision. Univision, is the most popular Spanish television and radio network in the world. He is Honduran and we share stories about what we think will happen. I tell him how I want us to win, but deep down think it will be tough, and would be extremely satified with a draw. He is then kind enough to offer me a free ride to my hotel, which I accept. Little did I know this was just the beggining of some great hospitality by the Honduran people.

    We land in the airport in San Pedro Sula (roughly 900,000 people). We go through customs and immigrations. I think it had about the same security in place as the check out line in Wal-Mart. I then step out of the airport into 95 degrees and humid. My friend from the plane gets me to the Hilton Hotel and bids me a farewell. When I get to the Hilton, it is surrounded by no less than 30 heavily armed Honduran National Police. Then I realize that the US team is staying here too. Can't beat that. I get checked into my room and then hit they hay for a bit as it has been a long day with little sleep so far.

    Thursday afternoon and night I leave the friendly Hilton confines and walk around the city in my US Soccer gear. Several people at the mall think I am a player and ask for pictures, but I have to tell them in Spanish that I am not and just keep walking. I have traveled Central America before and feel confident in what you can and can not do down there, so I walk around the surrounding neighborhoods to get a feel for the town and find a local restaraunt. I find one have a 2 separate dinners and 5 beers for around $15. Can't go wrong. I then headed to a bar called the International Doghouse Tavern, which is owned by Frank from Philly. We met Frank on a soccer message board and he said to stop by his place for some good fun. I stopped by and met Frank and co-owner Edwin. They were gracious hosts and told me all about a US fan party they had planned for Friday night. I then headed back to the hotel and called it an early night.

    On Friday I got up at 8am. Not by choice. It was because of several loud kazoo style horns in the street that vendors were already selling for game, along with flags, jerseys, and anything else Honduran. Today was going to be a good day as that there were other US fans arriving today and that got me exited. Several of us had coordinated things on Facebook and Bigsoccer.com about coming to the game. One of the big people responsible for getting everyone excited and informed about the trip was Wayne-O, but due to some conflicts he would not get in till Saturday.

    Friday morning, I made some contacts with some US Customs Agents that lived at the hotel. I talked to Gus about some legistics of the game and he told me whatever we needed to come to him and he was a great help. That is what I love about being a cop, its a brotherhood and other cops are always quick to help you out no matter what. I spent most of the morning chilling by the pool and then moved to some quality lobby hang out time till outher American fans arrived.

    While sitting pool side I ran into US coach Bob Bradley who was taking a swim. Im not really a person to want to bother these guys on their trip down here getting ready for a game, so I told coach good luck and that we would be supporting him at the game on Saturday. He then asked where I was from and I told him South Dakota. Naturally he said "wow". He then asked what I was doing down here, and I told him I was only there for the game. After realizing I had came all this way to watch his team play, he intiated a good conversation with me about anything and everything. I told him that anytime himself or the players need to relieve some stress after the next two matches they could come to South Dakota for opening pheasant season this next weekend and he seemed to get a kick out of that.

    I then moved to the lobby and waited for people to arrive. The Boston 5 were the first to arrive. I noticed them right away as they all had on their American Outlaws shirts on. I also am a member of the American Outlaws USMNT support group. I said hello and told them we would be meeting in the lobby at 730pm to go to Frank's bar as he was hosting a party for us. Next to arrive, was Ashwyn and his friend, along with Atlanta Steve. Ashwyn, is a person that I first met at the US World Cup Qualifier in Salt Lake Ctiy, Utah against El Salvador in August. He follows the US team around to every game home or abroad as he is filming a kick ass documentary on the journey and struggles of the US team as they attempt to qualify for the world cup. I watched him interview and film in SLC, and I can tell that his documentary is going to be amazing. It is called One Goal, so if in the near future you see a listing for it, don't miss it, as it will give you probably the best outlook on what being a fan of US Soccer is all about. Ashwyn tells me he brought an extra person along to help him film, as he knew we were going to win down here, and clinch our spot in South Africa (Ashwyn what are next week's lottery numbers please).

    A few others straggle in after that. We all meet in the lobby at 730 to go to Franks place. As we are waiting for the bus, the US team is walking by us heading to dinner. I get my photo with Jozy, and Frankie, two of my favorite players. I also shake Charlie Davies's hand and make him promise that if he scores tommorow he will do the "stanky leg" for me and point to the US section during the game. He assures me that their will be a lot ot "stanky legging" going on (when Charlie Davies scores he does a dance called the Stanky Leg everytime). Little did I know, that in 3 days Charlie Davies would be lucky to be alive, and may not ever take the field again.

    We head to Franks bar. He has a tent set out front. About 20 of us are hanging out there. Ashwyn is busy filming and interview people for the documentary. We get into friendly banter with the Honduran people at the bar and take turns doing cheers back and forth. We bust out into America the Beautiful and several others. A great time is had by all. Before the night is over Kyle is taking pictures with the armed security guard outside. I need to point out every place in Honduras has armed security. Now it may be a rusty shotgun or a 12 year old with a machete. Kinda scary. The police show up to at the bar to check things out and Frank asks them what they need. They are satisfied when Frank gives them two bags of ice, and leave for the rest of the night.

    We call our taxi and call it a night. We get back to the Hilton as we have a long day ahead. Then I get a great idea. For some reason I think it is only midnight (actually it was 2am). I can not go home at midnight I think to myself. I then turn to Christian another fan on the trip and ask him if he wants to head to the bar across the street for a bit longer and he agrees. My kinda guy.

    We get to the bar and the manager will not let us in because we have shorts on and this is a classy joint. So some nice Honduran locals buy us some beers from inside and we drink with them outside. These same nice Hondurans then finally convince the manager to let the turistas (tourists) in. When we get inside there are several people inside. It is your normal bar playing dance music. Everyone in the bar wants to buy a drink for me and Christian, so it is quite nice as we dont spend a dime and have a few beers, we are taking it easy though as we still have a big day ahead of us. We chat up a lot of people as they are curious about what we think the outcome of the game will be. We meet and talk to a lot of cool people. Next thing we know, it is super late (445am) and it is time to head home and get some sleep. I lay down in bed thinking how I will sleep till noon and be ready for the big day.

    Nope its 8am again and the horns from the previous day are blaring. But this time it sounds like they are amplified by a megaphone. I look outside my window. The streets are packed. Their is a traffic jam. The game does not even start till 8pm at night. I try to fall back asleep, but that is not possible so I say oh well. I see Gus my US Customs friend and I work with him to get us a bus with an armed escort to the game for the US fans at the hotel. I meet the 2nd highest guy in charge of the National Police force for Honduras and he is very nice. He wanted to know what my (police) opinion was of how he had designed and handled the security situation for the hotel, and I told him he did a very good job. As in a situation like this it is better to be over prepared, then to be under prepared and have to be retroactive to what happens. He smiled. I then asked him if I could get some Honduran police patches before I left and he said he would make it happen, and he did.

    When most people plan on going to a football or basketball game you go 1-2 hours ahead of time unless you are tailgating. So we initially planned on going to the stadium at 6 pm. Then Gus informed me that we would need to go at 3pm at the latest to insure we got in. We all thought this was little strange, but in retrospect we were glad we followed his lead. Prior to leaving for the game, Wayne-O showed up with the huge American flag and the special shirts he made for the game. Along with a host of other fans including Kevin and Andy. Prior to leaving, we took a few pictures of everyone in full regala and we were ready.

    We boarded our bus, which had super tinted windows where no one could see in. Probably better for us, so we didnt get so many one fingered salutes. Our police escort consisted of two police officers, on one Travis Pastrana style dirt bike. The one in front drove. The one in back just pointed his machine gun at cars to make them get out of the way for us. The streets were mayhem and without this escort we may have never made it to the game. When we got close to the stadium, it was blocked off for traffic almost a mile away. Since we had a police escort this did not matter for us and we got dropped off right in from off Olimpico Stadium. The place was packed already of Honduran fans, many of them blowing those damn horns.

    As we exited the bus, a few people gave their last rites and will and testaments and we called it good. To sum it up, exiting the bus, we turned into the new animal at the zoo that everyone wanted to see. To be honest for some Hondurans, this would be probably the biggest group of American people they will ever see at one time in their life, so many were quite curious. We first got mobbed by the news outlets. ESPN Deportes and several other channels were wanting interviews with us. I did an interview for an international station that wanted to know about the safety of Honduras because of the political situation. I told them I have had no safety problems. We had come chanting banter with the Hondurans and took photos with many, but we were out numbered around 50,000-30.

    Now getting into the game. I have never been apart of anything more crazy in my life. 50,000 people need to get into this game and there are literally 3 entrances that we can find. And the entrances are only as big as a normal home's front door where one person gets in at a time. Some friendly Honduran folks tell us you just muscle up and push your way to the front and that is how everyone gets in. Lovely. Well we do a good job of kinda keeping the group together. We get pretty close to the entrance and then we hit a four foot fence that you have to climb over into a super thick group of people. We come up with a plan and help the first few people over. They then hold up the line a bit and block for some of us others to get in. As a few of us got over the fence we would help a few Hondurans over in good faith and helped the Hondurans with small kids as this was quite a dangerous situation with the size of the crowd. There was never more relief than when I finally made it through the gate and into the stadium. It took some time but we eventually got everyone in our group in safely. A few in the group got pick pocketed of their tickets and had to buy new ones which sucked.

    We now were in the stadium and it was around 5 oclock. We got to our section which was roped off for us American Fans and surrounded by 4 police officers for safety reasons. We had a roof above us and a wall at our rears, so we felt quite safe from incoming missles of beer, urine, and who knows what else...Throwing these type of things at opposing teams fans in soccer matches abroad is common place. We all just kept our head on a swivel and made sure to warn each other should a scud be coming in.

    Now at this point, all but a little section of this stadium is packed 3 hours before the game. The Honduran fans are all singing and dancing and the jumbotron is showing Honduras highlights and about every few minutes a guy gets on the loud speaker and yells Honduras and the crowd goes crazy.

    It is hot and humid we are all sweating. We paid the beer vendor, who waspractically a ten year old kid that was bringing us 40 beers at a time for roughly $40. We just put our money into a pot and passed out the beers in our section. I bought some water in a bag, as they dont have bottled water at the stadium and this cost me a quarter. It was a sight to see. We chanted several USA chants when the crowd died down a bit to show our support. We hung our American Outlaws supporter banner. Wayne had brought a huge American flag that we put up several times. We all tried to keep tabs on each other and made sure not to leave the section alone. A few other Americans that did not ride with us showed up and by the time the game started our group was about 40-45 people strong in the sea of 50-60 thousand Hondurans.

    Before the game we thought we lost our friend Kevin as he had gone to the restroom about 30 mins prior and had not returned. I volunteered to go look for him, and located him making friends in the walkways near the concession stands. Kevin was engaging in some great talks with some of the locals and he did a great job of establishing some good relations with several of the Honduran fans that were sitting in front of us. It was important for us fans to conduct ourselves in a respectful manner as first, it is the right thing to do, but secondly, if we made the Honduran fans mad, we could be in some real danger.

    The game was here and both teams took the field. As they played the Star Spangled Banner, we raised Wayne's huge flag and we all sung our hearts out. The Honduran fans were as quiet as they could be during our anthem. Just like anywhere else, there were a few jackasses that were rude during it, but they were by far the minority. Then the Hondurans played their national anthem. Actually they didn't play it from what I could hear. The whole crowd of Hondurans sang it. It was a pretty cool site to see in person. We all stood with our hats off until their anthem was over and then it was game on.

    To sum up the game it went like this. The first half was pretty lackluster. Each team had some scoring chances, but the game ended up tied 0-0 at the half. The stadium however was electric. We knew that they second half was going to be good. In the 47th minute (or the 2nd minute of the second half) the Hondurans scored. The place went ballistic. It was the loudest stadium I have ever heard. The cement above us was shaking as were our seats. I have been to many big football games (Nebraska vs USC, Nebraska vs OU several times, etc) and I have never heard Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska this loud. It was quite a site to see. The people were elated as you could see them one step closer to making the World Cup. We just sat shell shocked on what had happened.

    The US team then answered back with a goal from an unlikely source Connor Casey. We tied it up 1-1 at the time and the Hondurans were shocked. We started chanting USA, USA and the word on the street is that you could hear it on the tv broadcast back home. We then got another goal a few minutes later, from, you guessed it Casey Connor to go up 2-1. At this point you could see the Honduran players start to hang their head, and you could sense it in the stands that they were in trouble. This was getting somewhat familiar to how the first game in Chicago went between the two teams when Honduras scored first and then the US score twice to win 2-1.

    A few minutes later Landon Donovan got us a third goal with about 15 minutes to go in the game. It was now 3-1, and to be honest at this point, I silently thought we had broken their will and may win 5-1. Some people in our stands started talking about going to the World Cup as a win would gurantee us a spot. This is when I started to worry that we jinxed ourselves.

    A credit to the Honduran team as they did not fold as I thought they would at this point. They scored and made it 3-2 and it was a whole new game. The fans were crazy and back in it and you could look in our section and see faces quickly change to faces of worry. Honduras then struck again, the ball was in the back of the net. The place was going nuts, but then to our relief the player was offsides, which means the goal does not count. The Honduran team was pressuring the US and we were on our heals. And then in the 87th minute (3 minutes to go in the game), we got whistled for a hand ball in the penalty box. That meant a penalty kick for the Hondurans. The place was once again in a frenzy, as penalty kicks are usually scored about 95% of the time. So it was likely that they would be making the game 3-3 very soon.

    We all just stood in our section with our hands on our faces thinking Holy Sh@t. I silently said a prayer (i know God doesnt care who wins, but it just felt right). Deep down though, I just had a feeling that Tim Howard, one of the best goalies in the world, was going to stop the kick. It was weird as I had this calmness about myself. The Honduran player stepped up to take the kick. It would be Pavon (he is pretty much what Michael Jordan is to basketball in Honduran soccer), one of the best players ever from Honduras. He took the kick and skyed it 4 feet over the top of the cross bar and thus they did not score. The Hondurans were shocked. They dropped their heads and couldn't believe it. It was as if the entire crowd had just gotten kicked in the stomach by the US team. On the other side we were going crazy in our section as we could not believe it. The last few minutes ran off including 4 minutes of extra time and we won in Olimpico Stadium. Something no other team has done in some time.

    We were going crazy in our section. Hugs, High Fives, Chest bumps, and anything else you could think of. We had officially qualified for the world cup. Then something happened that I never expected. The Honduran section in front of us turned around and stood on their feet and started applauding our fan section. It was one of the greatest demonstrations of sportsmanship I have ever seen. Here we came to their stadium and initially crushed their world cup dreams and they still had the class to do that. It was a feeling that I can not describe. Our small section of supporters then started chanting Honduras as a show of support for them and also gave them a standing ovation.

    After the game got over we stayed in the stands for a while. We traded scarfs and jerseys with other Honduran fans. We took pictures with each other. We also promised the Hondurans that we saw that we would beat Costa Rica for them in our next match on Wed 10/14/09, as now Honduras would have to beat El Salvador in El Salvador and we would have to win or tie Costa Rica for Honduras to go to the World Cup. Something they deserved for the hospitality they showed to us. As we left our seats it was sad to see just how fortunate Americans are. Several young kids raided our section looking for any lost money and drinking many of our half drank Coca-Cola's that were left behind. Kinda breaks your heart to see this, so just keep that in mind when you think you have it bad.

    After the game we were escorted out of the stadium and down the street by a huge group of police. There were a few fans that said Gringos Gay and some other off color remarks, but for the most part people said good game and we said the same. We were supposed to meet our bus at this gas station but it was about 30 minutes late. Things got a little hairy while we waited, as the police left and we heard some definite gun shots from less than a block away. But our bus arrived. We got back to the hotel and celebrated with the US Embassy staff that lived there, as they were prohibited by the US Government from going to the game.

    I was exhausted. I ate some food, drank two beers, hugged and fist pounded some other fans, it was an amazing feeling. It would be hard to explain back home. To be a part of roughly 50 people to witness and experience everything we had, made us a pretty elite group and something we could all talk about with each other when we see each other in the future. Ashwyn was still getting footage for his documentary and our reactions to the win, I know he interviewed me and Im sure that footage will be promptly edited out (haha Ashwyn, hopefully I gave you some usable footage).

    Wayne-O was sleeping on the floor of my room this night, so I told him I was hitting the hay. I felt like I had been in a train wreck, my body was shot. I layed down in my bed knowing that it would be hard to top today in many regards. I closed my eyes.......and could still hear the damn ringing of those freaking horns at the game. I finally fell asleep.

    I got up Sunday morning to bid most of the fans a farewell and safe travels. We exchanged business cards and email address and agreed to stay in touch. When it was all set and done there were only a few of us left at the hotel leaving Monday. We called ourselves the final four. It was me Wayne-O, Garrett, and Jill. They were all crashing in my room. We just hung around Sunday and laid pretty low.

    Hopefully, this does a little justice in explaining why us US Soccer Fans do what we do. I feel like I made 50 great new friends on this trip and have already heard from many of them since I returned to the states. It is just as much about the game itself as the relationships and experiences you get from going to these.

    With that said, I know that not everyone is in a position to go to Honduras for a game. Single, not married, no girlfriend, is a pretty good excuse for me to go. But, I encourage all to take some time and go to a bar to watch a game with other supporters. There are so few US Soccer Supporteres that we really look out for each other and welcome new fans with open arms. It as much about the game as it is supporting your country.

    And just incase you people are wondering. Last night, Honduras beat El Salvador, and we in dramatic fashion tied Costa Rica in the final seconds and sent Honduras to their first World Cup in 28 years, like we promised when we left. Kinda a somber day for American fans, as US player Charlie Davies was nearly killed in a car wreck on Monday morning this week and may never return to soccer again.

    Get well Charlie. Go American Outlaws. Thanks to the aweome new people I met, I will see you soon. Go USA. South Africa Bound. And Remember to be thankful for what you have. I was told by a friend in Honduras that after they found out they qualified that people were waving American flags and scarfs in the streets in celebration and thanks of us beating Costa Rica. Wonder where who they got them from. God Bless the USA.
     
    3 people repped this.
  19. wixson7

    wixson7 Member+

    May 12, 2009
    boulder
    well done ctown, thx for that. much needed recap. i ate up the details, thx.
     
  20. GOREVS3000

    GOREVS3000 Moderator
    Staff Member

    New England Revolution
    United States
    Sep 18, 2006
    Boston
    Club:
    2 de Mayo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgQvD7nSHh8"]YouTube - 2009 Honduras vs USA soccer experience[/ame]


    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5Xefz36Dvw"]YouTube - There is no bus to pick us up[/ame]

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2jCq9-HO6Y"]YouTube - Group Video At End[/ame]
     
  21. GOREVS3000

    GOREVS3000 Moderator
    Staff Member

    New England Revolution
    United States
    Sep 18, 2006
    Boston
    Club:
    2 de Mayo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOfp02Kh0Mw"]YouTube - Estadio Olimpico Fire[/ame]

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsZdwWroDYk"]YouTube - Crazy dancer at Estadio Olimpico[/ame]

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHSUWOobFIQ"]YouTube - US vs Honduras 10/10/09 Inside Gate 00[/ame]
     
  22. GOREVS3000

    GOREVS3000 Moderator
    Staff Member

    New England Revolution
    United States
    Sep 18, 2006
    Boston
    Club:
    2 de Mayo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aMdM5Dcj1g"]YouTube - We Hate Mexico More Than You - Estadio Olimpico Edition[/ame]

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8931QDi2dWw"]YouTube - Jill explains what they're making at Estadio Olimpico[/ame]

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52jGHIqflJU"]YouTube - Kyle hangs up the American Outlaws banner in Honduras[/ame]
     

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